children & young people's counselling in the news and background information

More availability...

We now have an extra counselling room available, giving me more flexibility in making appointments for young people to tie in with their school / college hours. During the week I run sessions for young people throughout the day, up until 8.00pm in the evening.

Moving Schools

Sue Brown (Registered MBACP) published an article on the ‘Counselling Directory’ website on the impact that moving from primary to secondary school can have on children. She suggests how parents could encourage and help their children to understand and communicate their emotions during this period of big change in their lives. http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellor-articles/moving-school

Talking with young people about on-line pornography

There has been a lot of stories in the news recently about how ‘sexting’ explicit images and accessing on-line porn is almost becoming ‘normalised’ amongst children and teenagers.

Although PSHE classes in schools are being updated, the NSPCC thinks that broader education is vital. "We absolutely have to talk to young people about sex, love, respect and consent as soon as we feel they are ready, to ensure that they gain a proper perspective between real-life relationships and the fantasy world of porn".

There is a new page available called useful links that signposts other organisations / agencies / that you may find useful

Social media and mental health

The BACP reports on work carried out by The National Union of Students, in it’s May 2017 ‘Therapy Today’. The NUS report ‘Further education and Mental health’ suggests that 24/7 social media can to lead to young people continually seeking validation from their contemporaries and that this can often leave them feeling isolated and neglected.

Sex and Relationship education to be made compulsory in schools

The Department for Education has announced that from 2019 all children in England will be taught about safe and healthy relationships, alongside age-appropriate lessons about sex. The focus will be on what constitutes healthy relationships and the dangers of sexting, on-line pornography and sexual harassment. In primary schools the emphasis will be on building healthy relationships and staying safe, while in secondary education it will focus on both relationships and sex.

1 in 30 young people identify themselves as LGB

The office for National Statistics report that 1 in 30 16-24 year olds now identify themselves as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. The same survey taken four years ago was 1 in 38. The national average across all age groups is 1 in 60

Report claims 1 in 6 British teenagers are unhappy

A recent article by Sian Griffiths in the Sunday Times reports on the findings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which questioned over 500,000 teenagers in 72 countries about their well-being and their academic performance. The report highlighted issues in the UK around exam stress, frequent testing and parental pressure, but found no direct link between ‘academic performance’ and ‘happiness’.

Countries such as Switzerland, Poland and Holland scored above the UK for both academic performance and happiness; while teenagers in countries such as South Korea and Czech Republic, although scoring higher academically, scored lower in terms of their well-being.

The BBC reports on the recent ‘National Study of Health and Wellbeing’ survey, that shows a growing divide between the proportions of young women and young men who are reporting mental health problems. According to the article, 26% of young women surveyed (16-24) reported a common mental health disorder, compared to 9% for young men. The survey suggests that as this generation is the first to come of age in the context of social media, more research needs to be done into its impact on mental health.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37504679

Children’s exposure to online porn

A survey by the NSPCC has found that more than half of children have encountered online pornography by the time they reach 16. Anne Longfield , the Children’s Commissioner for England, thinks that more needs to be done to restrict children’s access to pornography “very many children are shocked, confused or disgusted by what they see and it is our duty to help them to challenge and make sense of it”.

The reality of 'on-line friends’

Online safety group Internet Matters reports on a recent survey of 1,000 young people highlighting growing trends in on-line behaviour. The average 11-16 year old now has 144 Facebook friends, 125 on Instagram and 114 on Twitter, but has only 43 ‘real’ friends. Many have on-line friends that they have never actually met and over half admitted to removing privacy filters on their accounts to attract more followers. www.internetmatters.org

Family relationships and self-esteem remain top concerns

The results of ChildLine’s 2014/15 report about the contacts to its helpline are presented in an article by the BACP in its February 2016 issue of ‘Therapy Today'. The report shows that family relationships and self-esteem remain top concerns for children and young people, but that contacts about bullying and ‘online’ bullying have increased significantly among younger children. Contacts with ChildLine around concerns around pregnancy and parenting have also risen within older teenagers and young people.

Impact of bullying in schools

The BACP published an article in its December 2015 issue of ‘Therapy Today’, reporting on a poll carried out by the Anti-bullying alliance who interviewed 1,496 16-25 year olds and 170 teachers. They suggest that bullying at school, including the ever-increasing use of cyber-bullying, can have longer-lasting effects, including low self-esteem and difficulties in forming relationships. The Anti-bullying alliance want greater investment in teacher training and school-based counselling.

In the November 2015 issue of their Therapy Today journal, the BACP suggests that tighter access criteria, put in place across mental health trusts in England, has meant a 20% reduction in the number of cases being taken on by local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). This is despite the government announcing £1.25bn of additional funding in January and means an increased pressure on school-based counsellors.

Exams top university student worries

The BACP reported on the 2014 Endsleigh Student Survey of over 2,000 UK students, where students were asked to rank their biggest fears. Exams and academic deadlines ranked firat with 89%; 52% worried about making friends; and 20% reported being homesick. The survey also found that 41% said that they would consider visiting their student counselling services if they felt that they needed help.

MindMate Leeds

As part of an NHS funded mental health information service for 12–19 year olds in Leeds, MindMate is a new website addressing some of the issues that could be affecting young people; such as 24-hour social networking, unrealistic body ideals and the pressures of education, jobs and careers. It is designed for young people, parents and carers and highlights the resources, services and help available. https://www.mindmate.org.uk

The BACP ran a story in it’s May 2015 edition
of its ‘Therapy Today’ magazine, reporting on a study by UCL and the Anna Freud
centre, suggesting that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of
Year 7 and Year 8 girls at risk of emotional problems. They suggest that
contributing factors could be academic pressure and an increase in
sexualisation and objectification that is becoming amplified by social media.

BBC launches new online safety campaign

The BBC’s ‘Be Smart’
campaign looks into the pressures that children and young people face online.
The BBC is looking to gain an up to date and detailed insight into the extent
of online peer pressure and whether such pressure can lead to negative online
behaviours or online bullying. This is part of the 'Safer Internet Day 2015'.﻿http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-31311927﻿

half
of families forecast to have just a single child

An article by Kevin Dowling, Becky
Barrow and Jenny Morris in The Sunday Times 04/01/15 reports on the analysis of
recent figures released by the ONS that shows that the
number of single child families has increased from 42% in 2003 to 47% in 2013;
and is forecast to rise to 50% within the next 7 years.

The trend for single
child households is rising across all family types, regardless of whether the
parents are married, co-habiting, or living on their own; although there is a trend emerging for 'wealthy' families to have more children and for the less well-off to have just one. The article talks
about the dangers of raising a generation of ‘little emperors’ deprived of the
lessons learned by having siblings; but also quotes research done at Kent
University that shows that having no siblings makes no difference to a child’s
outcome.

new
guidance for schools on providing counselling for pupils

In its December 2014
issue of ‘Therapy Today’, the BACP reports on a package of measures announced
by Sam Gymiah, Childcare and Education minister, to set out a blueprint for
counselling services in both primary and secondary schools. http://www.therapytoday.net/article/show/4598/

rise
in Childline suicide calls

The BACP reports on a study by Childline, in it’s
November 2014 issue of ‘Therapy Today’, that says that calls to Childline from
children and young people who are feeling suicidal have increased by over 100%
in the past three years. The steepest increase was seen amongst girls. The
number of visitors to the Childline webpages on self-harm and suicide was 37,000
last year, up from 18,000 in 2012/13. www.childline.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

﻿rise in number of children self-harming in Harrogate﻿

Harrogate
Advertiser ran this front page article in its 18th September 2014 edition
about the rise in the number of Harrogate children deliberately hurting
themselves. The article includes input from Harrogate & District NHS, CAMHS
and Relate and explains how self-harm is often a mechanism for coping with
stress, anxiety or pressure.